1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of vaporizers used to heat solids, liquid and suspensions, such as waxes and oils, for inhalation by a user.
2. Prior Art
Vaporizers, including electronic cigarettes, have become increasingly popular over the past ten years. As consumers have become more aware of the health consequences of inhaling smoke produced by combusting tobacco and other substances, vaporizers have become a healthier alternative to cigarettes, cigars, pipes and other smoking implements. While some vaporizers are large and bulky—sometimes intended to mimic the aesthetic look of a bookah—most vaporizers are small enough to fit into a user's pocket or purse for convenience.
Vaporizers in which the solid, liquid or suspension material sought to be vaporized is placed onto a pre-heated surface, however, have remained bulky, expensive, dangerous and inconvenient. The drawbacks of such vaporizers is best understood with reference to FIG. 1, which depicts a conventional pre-heated surface vaporizer. The prior art pre-heated surface vaporizer 3 includes a slide 7. Slide 7 is heated by a torch 9 that generally employs butane or another combustible hydrocarbon. Once the slide 7 is sufficiently heated by torch 9, a user may place a substance desired to vaporized in the slide 7. When the substance is placed in contact with slide 7, it quickly vaporizers due to the high temperature of the slide 7. Slide 7 includes a small opening which allows airflow through the slide to the interior of vaporizer 3. Vaporizer 3 includes a mouthpiece 5 that also provides for airflow through the interior of the vaporizer 3 to the mouthpiece 5. In that way, a user may inhale at mouthpiece 5 and ingest the vapor of the substance placed in the slide 7. Vaporizer 3 may be partially filled with water for the purpose of cooling the vapor before it is inhaled by the user.
While this sort of apparatus provides for creative aesthetics, it also has significant drawbacks. User of a torch 9 to heat a slide 7 is inherently dangerous because it employs a combustible hydrocarbon and results in an exposed and extremely hot slide 7, usually made of a heat conductible metal. This may be a particular concern for users who may choose to vaporize and inhale an intoxicant, as that is likely to make them more likely to be injured by open flame from the torch 9 or the exposed hot slide 7. Some prior art vaporizers include an alternative heating source, such as an electronic heat device that connects to the slide 7, however, they are generally bulky and expensive. The size of the vaporizer 3, as well as the necessity of the torch 9 or other separate heating device, make this sort of apparatus bulky, inconvenient (compared to a compact vaporizer that can fit in a user's pocket or purse), and expensive.
Furthermore, the prior art configuration depicted in FIG. 1 requires that the slide 7 have an air passage to permit inhalation of the vaporized substance from the mouthpiece 5. That air passage inevitably accumulates residue of the substance to be vaporized, whether because the slide is overheated and thus causes the substance to combust or because some of the substance is not vaporized. As a result, subsequent users of the vaporizer 3 are unwittingly exposed to vapors from a previous substance. This too is especially a problem if the vaporizer 3 is used by multiple users, particularly if some of those users use the vaporizer 3 to ingest intoxicants. Even if the substance does not accumulate in the air passage, the inclusion of an air passage may also allow unvaporized substance to drip through the slide 7. Specifically, prior to vaporizing, the viscosity of wax or oil, when it is heated, decreases, and therefore the wax or oil desired to be vaporized may fall through the air passage without being vaporized particularly if a user is providing negative pressure in the vaporizer by inhaling at the mouthpiece 5.
There exists a need for a compact vaporizer that provides the user with the ability to place a solid, liquid or suspension substance on a pre-heated pan with an airway to the user's mouth, wherein the temperature of the pan is controlled, no flame is necessary, and the pan provides for easy cleaning between uses. The present invention, the preferred embodiment of which is described herein, meets this need, and provides further advantages over the prior art, as described herein.